Automobile bumper



March r I F. A. WERNIG AUTOMOBILE BUMPER Filed Jan. 23 1922 lliiiiii INVENTOR 6W ATTORNEY I L L to produce a bumper composed o Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

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FREDERICK a WERNIG, or nRooxLYN, NEW rear.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER.

Application filed January 23, 1922. Serial No. 531,082.

invention relates to automobile rear end or else the impact area of the bumper is increased or expanded at the middlie portion by extending the bars forming t e the middle of the bum er so as to provide parallel members .space apart vertically and connected to a single narrow bar or strip comprising the 'end ortions In either case, an obstruction whic projects above or below the narrow end portion of the bumper may avoid the bumper bar and damage the lamps and wheel fenders of an automobile and it is these portions of the automobile which are most frequently damaged.

The prmcipal objects of this invention are to provide a bumper of increased vertical width at the opposite ends thereof so as to afford a greater degree of protection to the lamps and fenders of an automobile or other vehicle than bumpers heretofore rovided; f resilient bars or plates having an increased or expanded impact; face at each end to more com-- pletely guard opposite side portions of a car to which it is attached and particularly the wheel fenders and lamps of such car; to produce a bumper having a'iniddle portion of a predetermined uniform width and end portions comprising fiat spring bars or plates of increased or expanded area, such end portions being preferably composed of resilient plates cut out at the central portion; to lighten the construction and provide rimstrips spaced from each other at the central portion of the plate and connected together at opposite ends thereof; to produce a bumper in which the resilience of the bum er at such end portions of expanded or increased area will be enhanced by having the terminals of such ends free; to prevent rattling between such free ends of increased imumper upwardly and downwardly atpact area and the contiguous parts thereof; to supplement the action of such flat-sprin s at the freeends in taking up relatively lig t shocks. and to resist and deaden the shocks of; concussion in the transmissionof relativelyheavy shocks at such free ends; to produce a bum er in which a coiled spring is used in com ination with free end portions of expanded or increased area to actas a buffer and anti-rattling devioebetween resiliently movable terminal parts; to produce a bumper in which the bars and plates are so arranged that free ends of a rigid spring will be utilized to take up shocks of greater magnitude than can be taken up by the buffer coil spring; to produce a bum er in which the two parallel rim strips of t e free end portion will be securely clamped together and will be acted upon conjointly by a single coil spring.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and cooperate with each other in the performance ofthe functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in.

which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an automobile bumper embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view-of 'the'bumper shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rear web strip employed by me; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to these drawings, 1 indicates an impact bar preferably formed of spring material which, as shown, extends transversely across the automobile chassis or body members 2 and also across the lamps 3, wheels 4 and fenders 5 of the car. Said impact bar 1 comprises a middle portion 6 extending between the chassis or body members 2 of the car which is of relatively narrow vertical width and, as shown, is comosed of two overlapping bar members adustably connected together by a clamp 7; and end portions 8 of increased vertical width which extend outwardly from the middle portion in front of the lamps, fenders and wheels. As illustrated, each of such end Jan. attaching oortion 901: a width similar to that ofthe middle bars and connected there= to by rivets 10 01 in any other suitable manner and upper and lower expansion rim strips fl and 12 which are forked from the attaching orti'on to extend upwardly and downwardly therefrom to produce an inter mediate opening 13 so as to lighten the construction, such rim strips coming together at the outer end of a bumper to provide free terminal therefor which is preferably curved inwardly, pend the vertical width of the bumper at the opposite ends thereof and,aiford increased rotection for the lamps and mud guards or enders against bumps due to obstructions which extend above or below the middle bar and which would otherwise contact with such mud guards or wheel fenders and lamps of the automobile, and a light strong and durable impact bar is provided which. has increased area at the points at which increased protection is necessary and rcdubed impact area intermediate such points.

The impact bar 1 in the embodiment shown is resiliently supported at the end portions of increased area b supporting members including a spring ar i4: which extends substantially parallel to said impact bar, is spaced there rom and referably has its opposite ends it curve to conform with t e curved terminals of the impact bar fora purpose which will be hereinafter explained.

The impact bar is, in the embodiment shown, mounted on the bar 14 at such end portions of increased area by bolt connec-.

tions 15 having coiled springs 16 under tension mounted thereon so as to cause a firm. though resiliently-movable mounting of the impact bar on the rear bar 14-. The connection 15 is preferably 'inade as illustrated,

with a clam 17 which spans theopening between the rim strip members 11 and 12 and is provided with a central bore 18 for the bolt 15 and has on its inner surface seats 19-19 into which are fitted the rim strips 11 and 12. The rim stri s are preferably more securely held wit 1in the seats 1919 by a web strip 20 which is provided with a bolt bore 20 and has inwardly extending flanges 20 at its opposite ends which extend into the seats 19-l9 and when this strip 20 is backed up b the springlll the rim strips will be secure y held within their seats in the clamp.

The bumper is preferably supported from the body of the car by oppositely disposed connecting arms 21-22 which are fastened in any suitable manner to the our body at one end and have bends 2l-22 disposed parallel with the spring bar 14 and fastened thereto by rivets 23. As illustrated, the bent portions 21 E extend outwardly and the The end plates increase or ex- I reserve 7 connecting bolt 15 also passes theret rough so as to afford a firm foundation for the connection and to procure a more rigid support at this point.

It will be seen that I have provided an impact member formed of resilient material with increased area portions at opposite ends; that this impact member is resiliently supported at such end portions of increased area by the interpositioning of coiled'springs and that when a shock is redeived at either such end portions the same will be taken up first by the coiled spring, and if the shock is of such intensity as to collapse the coiled springs further strain on the impact bar will be taken up and resiliently resisted by the curved ends I i of the rear spring bar 14. and finally still greater strain will be taken up by the bar 14- itself as reinforced by the bent portions 21 -22 of the attachin arms 21-22.

rlavingdescribed my invention, I claim 1. An automobile bumperoomprising a rear supporting bar formed of spring Ina-- terial and having free ends; connecting arms engaging said supporting bar intermediate its ends for fastening the same "to the auto mobile chassis; an impact member also formed of spring material having free ends and provided with horizontally-extending end portions of relatively large verticallydisposed impact area merging with a single bar portion between such end portions of reduced impact area, and springs arranged between said supporting bar and said impact member to prevent rattling and take. up shocks imposed on theimpact member.

2. An automobile bumper comprising a supporting bar formed of spring material and having free ends, an impact member formed of spring material and also having free ends and provided with a central bar portion of relatively nan-row impact area extending in front of the radiator of an automobile and portions of relatively widened impact area extending both above and below the horizontal plane of the middle portion of the impact bar and extending across the wheel fenders of a'car, and springs arranged between the free ends of the supporting bar and impact bar to prevent rattling and take up strains imposed on said impact bar.

3. An automobile bumper comprising a supporting bar formed of spring material and having free ends, an impact member formed of spring material and also having free ends and provided with a central bar portion of relatively narrow impact area extending in front of the radiator of an automobile and portions of relatively widened impact area composed of spaced rim strips extending both above and below the horizontal plane of the middle portion of the impact bar and extending across the wheel fenders of a car, and cmled springs under tension arranged between the free ends of the supporting bar and impact bar to prevent rattling and take up strains imposed on said impact'bar and clamps bridgin said spaced rim strips against which sai sprin s abut at one side.

4. in automobile bumper comprising a supporting bar formed of spring materialand having free ends, an impact member formed of spring material and also having free ends and provided with a central bar portion of relatively narrow impact area extending in front of the radiator. of an automobile and portions of relatively widened impact area composed of spaced rim strips extending both above and below the horizontal plane of the middle portion of the impact bar and extending across the wheel fenders of a car, coiled springs under tension arranged between the free ends of the supporting bar and impact bar to prevent rattling and take up strains imposed on said impact bar and clamps having seats into which are fitted said spaced rim strips anid against which said springs abut at one s1 e.

In witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK A. WERNIG.

Witnesses:

HELEN V. WHIDDEN, J ULIUS H. LUTZ. 

